The Power of Words and Expression: Celebrating the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Tags for: The Power of Words and Expression: Celebrating the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Press Release
Monday January 18, 2016
exterior of the CMA building

Contact the Museum's Media Relations Team:
(216) 707-2261
marketingandcommunications@clevelandart.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art honors the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his powerful call for society to participate in service

Cleveland (January 18, 2015) Today the Cleveland Museum of Art will open its doors for a free daylong celebration of art, music and film in celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Family-friendly activities, storytelling and song will fill the galleries to honor Dr. King’s vision of altruism and acceptance. The museum will be open 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., with art activities and performances from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Throughout the Day 

Art Making: Give the Gift of Warmth 
Ames Family Atrium, 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Create scarves to help those in our community who need a little more warmth during the long winter.

Art Making: Symbols of Yourself
Ames Family Atrium, 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Create an artwork that symbolizes your unique identity.

Participate: Build Together
Ames Family Atrium, 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Work together to build a paper sculpture that expresses our community. Share the project on social media with the hashtag #playatCMA.

Film: Videos of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
North Courtyard Lobby, 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Learn about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through footage of his life

Performance: Global Entertainment Presents Humble “G” tha Fiddla 
Ames Family Atrium, 11:30 a.m.–11:50 a.m.
This energetic performance blends classical violin with hip-hop beats.

Art Stories: Sharing 
Gallery 223, 11:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00–1:30 p.m.
Read, look, and play with us! Join us for this story time designed for children ages 2 to 5 and their grown-ups; older siblings welcome!

Performance: White House Band 
Ames Family Atrium, 1:00–1:45 p.m.
Enjoy the jazz stylings of this local sensation.

Art Cart: The Art of the Alphabet 
Ames Family Atrium, 1:00–3:00 p.m.
Visitors wearing gloves can touch this special collection of art.

Performance: Jabtune
Ames Family Atrium, 2:30–3:15 p.m.
This local band draws inspiration from many types of music, making them accessible to any musical taste.

In celebration of its Centennial, the Cleveland Museum of Art is marking its anniversary with a series of exceptional loans from select collections around the world. Bang by Kerry James Marshall, acquired early in Marshall’s career by the Cleveland-based Progressive Corporation, is one of the artist’s most iconic works. The monumental painting depicts three African American children saluting the American flag in a verdant suburban backyard on the Fourth of July. On view now through March 27 in gallery 229.

Marshall became known in the 1990s for his artworks that invoke the grand traditions of history painting of 18th-century Europe. However, Marshall’s work pointedly defies the genre’s hallmark traits. Throughout his already forty-year career, Marshall has often depicted African American subjects—long absent from the traditional narratives of art history—in everyday settings that exude an otherworldly aura.

Come back to the museum on January 23 at 2:00 p.m., and learn more about Bang by attending “Gallery Talk: Kerry James Marshall’s Bang.” Explore Marshall’s work with Hamza Walker, director of education and associate curator for the Renaissance Society, the noncollecting museum of contemporary art at the University of Chicago, and a contributing author to the catalogue Kerry James Marshall: Look See. Free; no registration required. 

Parking is available in the museum’s attached garage, and the garages and meters around University Circle. 

WHAT: The Power of Words and Expression: Celebrating the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

WHERE: Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44106

WHEN: Today. Activities 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Museum operating hours, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 

ADMISSION: Free

MEDIA CONTACTS: Kelley Notaro, 216-707-6898 (office) knotaro@clevelandart.org